URL shortening is an advanced technique in the internet where the Uniform Resource Location is made shorter and still directs a web visitor to the intended page. The technique is designed to shorten characters in a link and make it neat and clean. There are various ways through which URL shortening is achieved but each is according to the intended purpose. Before shortening URL links, the most appropriate avenue is selected. In the article below, the concept of URL shortening will be discussed comprehensively.

Types of URL shortening services and their categories

As aforementioned, not all URL shortening services are the same. They are supposed to be rhyme with category so as to achieve effectiveness in performance. Below is some of the most reliable URL shortening services.

  1. Hyperlink: This service is exclusive for tracking links. It is meant for users who want to keep a close watch on their links. They usually get push notifications when the links are clicked.
  2. Shorby: This URL shortening service is for Instagram users. Most social media users don’t appreciate following length links. To keep the links neat, trustable and clean, this service is the most suitable.
  3. TinyURL: This service is meant for shortening anonymous URLs and they are on demand due to their reliability in that activity.
  4. Rebrandy: As the name sounds, this service is meant to shorten URLs in an attempt to recreate a brand. It is a very popular service among brand re-creators.
  5. INK: This URL shortening service is for the small scale business owners. The pool of business is deep and wide but not all businesses are the same. For small business owners, this is their ideal service.
  6. Bitly: This arguably the most reliable URL shortening service. It has been tried, tested and proven to be the best in regard to all-round URL shortening. It is general and direct and that places it on high demand.

Factors to consider when choosing URL shortener

There are a lot of available options that promise to deliver quality results in shortening URLs. These options can be very confusing because they appear to be similar if you don’t take a closer look. In this way, you may end up with a selection that does not favor you. Below are some of the factors to consider when choosing the best URL shortener.

  1. Integration features and social media: Some of the URLs are specific to social media. The integration features are supposed to be audited comprehensively to assess whether they will meet the requirements of what you are looking for. For Twitter users, it is possible to check whether the option can manage to reduce characters of your links significantly so as to fit the messaging options on twitter.
  2. Analytic options and tracking: Some users are very specific about tracking options for links. When doing a marketing campaign, one of the most important things is to know whether or not you reached the target audience. With tracking options, the user can see how far the campaign went, who clicked their links, their languages and the regions they come from. Not all options that these features and that is why it is important to consider checking.
  3. The level of trust and credibility: To every online service, there are reviews. There are comments from neutral users who were served at different times and they had different experiences. They can either share their appreciation or disappointment online because everything gets rated in the molecular world. You can first check on what other users are saying, the number of users that the service commands and its credibility. In this way, you can predict the experience you will have with that URL shortening service.
  4. Whether or not you are branding your links: Branded links in URL shortening come with a budget. The budget is either costly or fair depending on what you want to spend in URL shortening. If you are not intending to brand your links, it is not advisable to select URL shortening services that carry with them additional cost tools. Before you can settle on an option, you can consider the possibility of spending and the budget you have for the operation.

The benefits of URL shortening

There are many advantages that are associated with URL shortening. These benefits help the user in the following ways.

  1. Makes your links memorable: When surfing the internet, people get carried away by many things most of which are educative and entertaining. The last thing they would want to engage is a long link. With URL shortening, you can make the links short, neat and memorable. This creates a good chance for people to remember and identify with your brand. It increases the chances of business performance.
  2. It gives you credibility: People don’t trust long links because they don’t look appealing to them. Again, they are not neat and attractive and if an alternative shorter link is available, they don’t mind going with it. Google URL can simply give or deny you clients depending on how credible you appear in your online presence.
  3. Makes social media marketing easy: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube have never been this easy. Unlike in the past when you could paste long links and ask people to follow, URL shortening has simplified the whole concept. You just need to use the most appropriate URL shortening service and make your links appealing to prospective followers.
  4. Link tracking is completely simplified: It would feel incomplete when you market your business online and you cannot tell the depth and length that the marketing has gone. With URL shortening, there are customized options that guarantee zero errors. In this way, you can easily track the people who click your links and their respective locations. That is how you identify whether they are target audiences or not.


In conclusion, URL shortening is very beneficial especially when you are looking forward to make powerful, attractive, neat and convenient links. They make business engagements more effective and that boosts your performance to a great extent. However, the best option has to be selected in order to make the best out of the URL shortening service.